Elephants kill 17 people a year

Elephants kill 17 people a year

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: Wild elephants on the rampage trample to death up to 17 people a year in this Sumatran province, says chief of the provincial forestry office A.S.M. Panjaitan.

He said that each year in Lampung an estimated 1,000 wild elephants, which are protected by law, encroach on human settlements, destroying crops and killing people.

In the latest incident last week, dozens of elephants went on the rampage in several hamlets in western Lampung, killing one person and injuring many others.

"Such encroachment has been going on for many years and the problem is getting serious," Panjaitan told Antara.

The elephant population is rapidly increasing while their habitat is dwindling due to the human pressure, such as development of resettlement areas and plantations, he said.

The elephant training center in Way Kambas is able to tame and train 20 elephants per year. Trained elephants are used to help with odd jobs, such as moving logs. (pan)